With a rise in popularity of healthier and organic foods in the last decade, as exemplified by the increase in organic restaurants and supermarkets, came a realization that poorer neighborhoods across the country had less access to healthy food options. Due to the high cost of organic, and therefore healthier, foods, many poor neighborhoods were not getting access to such products and thus were being labeled as “food deserts.” The issue of “food deserts” is one that is currently being addressed but the issue of what I will call “retail deserts”, the lack of large retail companies and suppliers, is an issue that is not receiving as much attention and if addressed can start the transition towards a better economy and better life for people in …show more content…
Big businesses bring many benefits to poorer neighborhoods and have been proven to improve local economies. This effect has recently been labeled the “Whole Foods Effect.” The “Whole Foods Effect” is when a large national retailer, in this case Whole Foods, the 9th most successful supermarket retailer nationally, comes into a lower income area and gives a whole new life to that area due to the employment that it provides, the foot traffic that it brings to an area, and their purchasing of goods from local suppliers. The Whole Foods Effect has worked in Washington D.C. in 2000, in Pittsburgh in 2002, in Boston in 2011, and most recently in Detroit in 2013. The “Whole Foods Effect” is not always carried out by the introduction of Whole Foods into lower income areas although it was carried out in Washington D.C. in 2000 by Whole Foods, hence the naming after them. In Washington D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood, Whole Foods opened up their first store on P Street 13 years ago when the only nightlife in the area was a lower class club called the Vegas Lounge. Then the Whole Foods came and along with it came a whole new crowd of people and a whole new view of the area which led to a revamping of the areas economy and status with the opening of new hip restaurants, Starbucks, and other bars and nightlife that keep the area economically productive. Recently in Midtown Detroit a Whole Foods finally opened after much anticipation from the locals. Many people wondered if the “Whole Foods Effect” could be replicated in their own town and time and time again it has been proven to be successful. Whole Foods hasn’t been in Detroit for too long yet but preliminary reports suggest that Whole Foods will be the force needed in Midtown to push them out of their endless cycle of poverty and into economic relevancy within the local Detroit community. The “Whole Foods Effect” has also
In “Called Home”, the first chapter of the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year in Food Life, Barbara Kingsolver presents her concerns about America's lack of food knowledge, sustainable practices, and food culture. Kingsolver introduces her argument for the benefits of adopting a local food culture by using statistics, witty anecdotal evidence, and logic to appeal to a wide casual reading audience. Her friendly tone and trenchant criticism of America's current food practices combine to deliver a convincing argument that a food culture would improve conditions concerning health and sustainability. I agree with Kingsolver that knowing the origin of food is an important and healthy benefit of developing a true food culture, but it is impractical to maintain that everyone is able to buy more expensive food. Kingsolver presents a compelling argument for developing a food culture, however this lifestyle change may not be practical or even possible for a poverty-level citizen. The following essay will summarize and respond to Kingsolver’s argument to demonstrate how “Called Home” is a model for novice social scientists.
Many in the U.S., today, try to eat well,balanced, meals to order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They do so by purchasing their food at farmers markets or making their own meals, so their food isn’t processed or genetically modified. Even though people are trying to maintain health in order to live long lives, without medical complications, many don’t have the opportunity to pursue life like this. In “Research shows food deserts more abundant in minority neighborhoods,” the author, Kelly Brooks, portrays an anecdote and logical reasoning, from Kelly Bower’s research, to thoroughly describe the food deserts in poor minority neighborhoods and how this issue needs to be repaired.
In her essay, “Food’s Class Warfare,” author Tracie McMillan promotes the inclusion of both “individual changes and structural ones” (217), particularly “class consciousness” (217), in the fight for quality diets in America. She reveals the most common sides of the healthy food debate as the inherent “just-buy-better stuff logic” (215) and the opposing “structural challenges of eating well” (215). The main strategies for defeating the American “obesity epidemic” (216) have been reaching out to the individual, as well as changing the structure of the American food system itself. The favorite concept for structuralists is “food deserts - neighborhoods with insufficient grocery stores and thus insufficient supplies of healthy food” (216). She deems the concept insufficient in practice, as it ignores smaller markets and equates large stores with a healthy food source. While the individual viewpoint and structuralists argue with each other, they share common ideals. According to
More and more health-conscious individuals are scrutinizing the source of the food their family consumes. However, even the most conscientious consumer is not fully aware of the exhaustive efforts and struggle to get a juicy, ripe strawberry or that plump tomato in the middle of winter, even in Florida. These foods are harvested and picked mostly by seasonal and migrant farm workers. Migrant workers hail, in large part, from Mexico and the Caribbean, and their families often travel with them. Migrant farm workers must endure challenging conditions so that Americans can have the beautiful selection of berries, tomatoes, and other fresh foods often found at places like a farmer’s market or a traditional super market. Seasonal and migrant farm workers suffer a variety of health problems as a result of their constant exposure to stress, the elements, and chemicals such as pesticides. They are paid minimal wages and are expected to work long hours of strenuous labor for pennies on the dollar per piece or per hour. The migrant families are expected to live in substandard quarters and transported to various work sites in unsafe transportation. The fresh fruits and vegetables consumers purchase with little thought reach supermarkets at a cost that is not reflected in the retail price. This cost is ultimately absorbed by farm workers in Florida and other areas throughout the country, who are among the poorest of American workers.
Because the people who live in food deserts do not get proper supplements of fruits and vegetable, much of their diets are consisted of mainly junk food, fast food, and meats. As a result of this, today, more than one third of adults in America are obese. In addition to obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease can also be results of a lack of healthy food choices, which result from people buying their food from convenience stores that only sell processed foods and from fast food restaurants. This paper attempts to provide readers with a better understanding of the fact that not only do food deserts exists, they are threatening the lives of Amer...
Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences: Report to Congress. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2009. Print.
“Food Deserts” as defined by the CDC, are “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). In simpler terms, a food desert is a community with little to no grocery stores. Many reports show that neighborhoods with less access to neighborhood grocery stores have a higher risk for obesity and unhealthy diets unlike neighborhoods where residents have better access to neighborhood grocery stores. The “USDA estimates that 23.5 million people, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income areas that are than one mile from a supermarket. Of the 23.5 million, 11.5 million are low-income individuals in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty line. Of the 2.3 million people living in low-income rural areas that ...
Alfio Rausa, from Mississippi State Department of health, food desert is a location where there is no complete supply of fruits and vegetables because of its cost in delivery. Thus, the people living in that area must travel several kilometers to meet the needs of their family and to provide nutritious food. An example of this situation is from the life of Ree, a mom who lives in Jonestown. In her area, there are only 3 stores which only serves processed food such as Chips, Ice Cream and Cakes. Whenever she will buy nutritious food, she must drive for 45 minutes and this will cost $10.48. Another example is the life of Barbie in which she must take 2 buses for more than an hour of travelling to get to a fully-stocked supermarket. Through this, there are 23.5 million American that are food desert in urban
A large part of the change within a community is restaurants and grocery stores. With the influx of wealth coming into gentrified communities, the dining options within the area must match with the new demographic. Affordable grocery stores and restaurants are being bought out and displaced with new and expensive eating options. While this may be seen as a positive for people looking to buy or rent apartment in these areas, it is certainly a negative for someone who relies on these stores on a daily basis. Displacement isn’t confined to a physical location; culture can be displaced as well. The replacement of stores that citizens rely on for convenience is a part of gentrification as well. A notable example of gentrification outside of housing is Whole Foods. Whole Foods caters to the everyday lifestyle of the new demographic while upholding ludicrous prices for anyone on a budget. An article in The Real Deal New York States it best, “Kale could be a rent killer for long-term residents of Central Harlem.” This location in Central Harlem not only has ridiculous prices within the store, but the value of the apartments surrounding it have increased as well. This causes even more of a n increase in rent prices and pushes even more long-term citizens out of housing. Housing within a one-mile radius of the new Whole Foods in Harlem have a difference of four point seven percent in rent
Walsh, Bryan. “America’s Food Crisis.” NEXUS. Eds. Kim and Michael Flachmann. Boston: Pearson, 2012. 166 – 173. Print.
Food Inc. is a documentary displaying the United States food industry in a negative light by revealing the inhumane, eye opening, worst case scenario processes of commercial farming for large corporate food manufacturing companies. Food Inc. discusses, at length, the changes that society and the audience at home can make to their grocery shopping habits to enable a more sustainable future for all involved.
Ploeg, M. ver; Breneman, V.; Farrigan, T.; Hamrick, K.; Hopkins, D.;Kaufman, P.; Lin, B. H.; Nord, M.; Smith, T.; Williams, R.; Kinnison, Access to affordable and nutritious food measuring and understanding food deserts and their consequences : report to Congress ([Rev. Sept. 3, 2009] ed.). (2009). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
The United States Department of Agriculture has reported that approximately 23.5 million Americans currently live in food deserts, including 6.5 million children (Shannon 248). Food deserts have left Americans without the option to provide fresh food resources for themselves and their families. As a result of the lack of food provided for Americans, obesity and illness rates have increased for people living in these areas. Food deserts have created a negative effect on people by causing a rise in obesity and illnesses, and causing difficulties in families. In order to fix this issue there needs to be a movement that will include placing supermarkets in food deserts and these markets should provide a variety of fresh food sources.
Approximately one million Californians live in food deserts (California Budget & Policy Center, 2012). In food desert areas, residents tend to pay higher prices for healthier foods because of the lack of supermarkets in their neighborhoods (White, 2015).
Many of the low-income neighborhoods have more availability of fast food centers such as mc-Donald and Wendy’s than in wealthier areas influencing individuals to have unhealthy diets, like seen in East Harlem in New York City.